Social Humanoid Robots for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Modalities, Indications, and Pitfalls

Puglisi, Alfio; Caprì, Tindara; Pignolo, Loris; Gismondo, Stefania; Chilà, Paola; Minutoli, Roberta; Marino, Flavia; Failla, Chiara; Arnao, Antonino Andrea; Tartarisco, Gennaro; Cerasa, Antonio; Pioggia, Giovanni

doi:10.3390/children9070953

Cited by 28 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(63 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Робот в данном случае выступает посредником между медицинским/социальным работником и ребенком-пациентом обеспечивая так называемое триадное взаимодействие. На данный момент есть несколько типов таких роботов, но нет никаких исследований, сравнивающих их между собой [6].…”

Section: педиатрияunclassified

Anthropomorphic robots in medicine: technology options and prospects.

Shaderkina¹,

Shaderkina²,

Petrushin³

2023

RJTEH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction. Anthropomorphic robots may eventually occupy a special niche in medicine, performing physically demanding, as well as emotionally monotonous work. As artificial intelligence is introduced, ARs will become more complex and their functions will expand. Materials and methods. For a review on anthropomorphic robots, foreign and Russian scientific publications were studied. It should be noted that the Russian segment of scientific publications for the keywords «anthropomorphic robots», «humanoid robots», «social robots» is extremely small and does not reflect the current world practice. 20 articles were selected from foreign sources. 2 own classifications have been developed - medical robots and anthropomorphic medical robots. Results. In recent years, there has been an explosive growth in the development of robotics. Along with industrial, military, service robots, the development of medical robots is going its own way. A universal anthropomorphic robot is a complex combination of a musculoskeletal system, mechanical limbs, a voice recognition system, space and neural networks capable of processing and understanding the environment and voice commands. The hallmark of AR at the time of writing: lack of cognitive ability and physical autonomy. The use of AR in certain medical fields is described, an attempt is made to determine the social aspects of AR. Conclusions. The greatest demand for anthropomorphic (humanoid) robots in medicine will be for caring for the elderly and for patients with limited motor functions, during pandemics or other potentially life-threatening situations. In the future, at the stage of introducing artificial intelligence, a thorough study of the legislation and the security system of such robots is required. Currently, the cost of AR is quite high, but in the future, cost reduction will be associated with the absence of costs for changing the environment for using such robots, which may be economically justified. The most important aspect of the use of AR is emotional interaction with a person and the safety of the latter.

show abstract

Section: педиатрияunclassified

Anthropomorphic robots in medicine: technology options and prospects.

Shaderkina¹,

Shaderkina²,

Petrushin³

2023

RJTEH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, among these technologies, humanoid robots seem to be particularly promising in supporting the consolidation of social skills and communication in children with ASD, promoting social interaction even outside the trained setting. Recently, Puglisi et al (2022) published a review describing the main advantages and disadvantages of humanoid social robots applied to the clinical context. The authors highlighted the efficacy of such technologies in boosting many social cognition skills in children with ASD (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial scaffolding: Augmenting social cognition by means of robot technology

Ghiglino

Floris²,

Tommaso

et al. 2023

Autism Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The concept of scaffolding refers to the support that the environment provides in the acquisition and consolidation of new abilities. Technological advancements allow for support in the acquisition of cognitive capabilities, such as second language acquisition using simple smartphone applications There is, however, one domain of cognition that has been scarcely addressed in the context of technologically assisted scaffolding: social cognition. We explored the possibility of supporting the acquisition of social competencies of a group of children with autism spectrum disorder engaged in a rehabilitation program (age = 5.8 ± 1.14, 10 females, 33 males) by designing two robot‐assisted training protocols tailored to Theory of Mind competencies. One protocol was performed with a humanoid robot and the other (control) with a non‐anthropomorphic robot. We analyzed changes in NEPSY‐II scores before and after the training using mixed effects models. Our results showed that activities with the humanoid significantly improved NEPSY‐II scores on the ToM scale. We claim that the motor repertoire of humanoids makes them ideal platforms for artificial scaffolding of social skills in individuals with autism, as they can evoke similar social mechanisms to those elicited in human‐human interaction, without providing the same social pressure that another human might exert.

show abstract

“…However, a groundbreaking revelation has emerged, demonstrating that when these devices adopt human-like characteristics, they can act as bridges to fill the social gap and bolster social skills. This has prompted the exploration of humanoid robots, such as Kasper [13], NAO [14,15], FACE [16], Bandit [17], ZECA [18], Zeno R25 [19], Puffy [20], Ifbot [21], Ichiro [22], and Pepper [23], as interactive tools for children with ASD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Augmenting Mobile App with NAO Robot for Autism Education

Mutawa,

Al Mudhahkah,

Al-Huwais

et al. 2023

Machines

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper aims to investigate the possibility of combining humanoid robots, particularly the NAO robot, with a mobile application to enhance the educational experiences of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The NAO robot, interfaced with a mobile app, serves as a socially assistive robotic (SAR) tool in the classroom. The study involved two groups of children aged three to six years old, exhibiting mild to moderate ASD symptoms. While the experimental group interacted with the NAO robot, the control group followed the standard curriculum. Initial findings showed that students in the experimental group exhibited higher levels of engagement and eye contact. However, certain limitations were identified, including the NAO robot’s limited capacity for concurrent interactions, language difficulties, battery life, and internet access. Despite these limitations, the study highlights the potential of robots and AI in addressing the particular educational requirements of children with ASD. Future research should focus on overcoming these obstacles to maximize the advantages of this technology in ASD education.

show abstract

Social Humanoid Robots for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Modalities, Indications, and Pitfalls

Cited by 28 publications

References 33 publications

Anthropomorphic robots in medicine: technology options and prospects.

Anthropomorphic robots in medicine: technology options and prospects.

Artificial scaffolding: Augmenting social cognition by means of robot technology

Augmenting Mobile App with NAO Robot for Autism Education

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About